Book Review: Tackle the taboo with Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson’s F*cked

Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson, the voices behind Guys We Fucked: The Anti-Slut Shaming Podcast, have travelled from the podcast to the page with F*cked: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed. Put down the rom-com and stick the rosé back in the fridge because you don’t need a man, and Fisher and Hutchinson are ready to tell you why.

Packed with straight-talking advice and personal stories, the core messages of F*ckedare clear and powerful in their simplicity. It’s an enthusiastic middle finger to double standards, an open love letter to the joys and importance of masturbation, and a friendly reminder that when it comes to sex, none of us really know what we’re doing (Phew!).

F*cked is all about making the uncomfortable a little less terrifying; tackling everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. From slut-shaming and faking it, to threesomes and butt stuff, nothing is off limits. Both Fisher and Hutchinson have plenty of stories to share, and even though the focus seems to be on straight women, there’s a universality to much of the advice they dispense. Raise your hand if you could stand to be a little less hard on yourself. I bet you raised your hand, right?

With Fisher and Hutchinson injecting so much of themselves into F*cked, it’s probably inevitable that a few of their hang-ups will follow, and make that judgement free zone feel a little exclusive. For example, there are a couple of throwaway comments, usually from Fisher, made at the expense of millennials. It honestly seems strange to leave them in there given that millennials would likely be a key (if not the key) demographic for F*cked, and while they don’t do any real damage in the grand scheme of things, they did leave a bad taste in this reader’s mouth. When you’ve got so much important advice to share, that’s probably not what you want your audience to take away.

F*cked makes awkward personal experiences feel universal, offering reminders that we’re not the only one beating ourselves up for things we did five years ago (usually at 2am when we can’t sleep, am I right, gang?). An open invitation to not just stick it to the man, but tell him quite loudly to GTFO of your head and/or bed. F*cked is a must read for anyone who has mentally beaten themselves up in front of the mirror, measured their worth by their relationship to others, or wound up in the emergency room after a sexy adventure gone wrong. Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson have got your back, so get out there and do what you gotta do.